Current weather

Tips on how to survive Black Friday shopping

updated Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - 4:06pm

Prioritize

Check out sales papers and pick out the most important items you want. There may be a new Barbie Doll or Justin Bieber doll your child wants that is going for a few dollars cheaper at a toy store, but that new iPad is $200 less than the original price. Which one would you be saving more money on? The doll is likely to be the same price the entire holiday shopping season.

The big items are the ones you save the most money on during Black Friday.

Look for the items that are more important to you because some retailers will showcase an item and make it seem like it’s some huge sale, when really, it’s usually the same price every day of the year. One example are movies. Some retailers will list movies that are going to be on sale for $5 or $7, but you can go to the store and find them for that price the day before Thanksgiving or the day before Christmas.

Do your homework

Check what discounts you can get when it comes to shopping. Some memberships, such as AAA, offer discounts at retail and online discounts. Also, as coupon-mom as it sounds, look for coupons online. Stores such as JCPennys or Hobby Lobby are very good about offering coupons to customers for a percentage off a product.

Get your rest and bring backup

Eating a big Thanksgiving meal might not help with your Black Friday war preparations. Most big meals tend to make you sleepy, so eat lightly and make sure you get plenty of rest Thanksgiving Eve and maybe even a nap Thanksgiving afternoon, because lines tend to start up outside retailers as early as 7 or 8 p.m.

Also bring snacks, coffee and a backup friend or family member. That way, if you have to go to the bathroom or just need a break to get in your car and warm up, you will still have someone to save your space in line. Let’s face it, most people in lines for hours on Black Friday are greedy and will not hold your space while you visit the restroom.

Use caution

Plenty of fights have broken out on Black Friday. In 2010, a woman in Wisconsin was arrested outside of a Toys ‘R’ Us for cutting in line and then threatening to shoot people. In 2011, a woman used pepper spray on shoppers waiting in line for the new XBox 360. That same year, a man was shot in California during a Black Friday shopping outing. The biggest, most recent altercation was a stampede at a Walmart in New York when a crowd stomped a Walmart employee to death.

Breathe, be careful, and if the crowd gets too rough, step away. That One Direction board game for your daughter or video game for your son is not that important.

Online prices are just as good

Most stores like to say that their “doorbuster prices” are the lowest you can find, but that’s not true. Target tends to have special sales only for online shoppers, as does Amazon and many other online stores. Apple tends to have the same Black Friday prices on their online store as they do in their physical stores. According to the AAA auto club, 72 percent of shoppers surveyed about their holiday shopping say that they plan to take advantage of sales on sites such as Amazon.com, Half.com, or eBay.

Also, check the stores’ websites to see if they have special online only specials, such as Target. Best Buy offers free shipping for the second year in the row for all online orders now through Dec. 24. If you go to the store and they are out of the product, you can get it shipped free to your home.

— Karah-Leigh Hancock

Editor's note: If you want to share a great Black Friday deal you find, tweet it with the hastag "abhdeals" on Twitter and we will retweet it to all our followers. #abhdeals